This invention relates to methods and devices which facilitate short to long term storage, using the original container or another container, of a material, such as a liquid or, more particularly, any type of interior or exterior latex or oil based paint, stain or other interior or exterior surface coatings. Note: “paint” is a general term used in this document to refer to all of the types of surface coatings referenced above.
The price of premium paint cost in excess of $50 per gallon. Having a convenient and cost effective way to preserve paint freshness for short or long periods of time protects this investment. Storing partially filled containers of paint for medium to long periods of time causes evaporation, and as a result, a paint skin forms on the surface. The evaporation problem is greatly accelerated in warm outdoor conditions, where paint is often stored in a secondary container for short periods of time on a project basis. Evaporation results in paint becoming thick and chemically compromised. The paint may be too thick to reconstitute and must be discarded, resulting in a waste of money and further stress on landfills or other methods of waste disposal. For oil based coverings, the air in the container may cause the paint to become oxidized, resulting in a thick skin of the coating to form on the surface. This may also result in the paint becoming chemically compromised and thickened. In addition, the skin that forms on the surface of the paint and on the interior wall of the paint can may fragment and contaminate the remaining paint, forcing the remaining paint to be discarded.
Various devices have been proposed in the art such as transferring unused paint to a separate storage container or removing the metal lid and replacing it with a flexible lid with a spout and seal. In addition, other devices have been proposed in which the air has been vacuumed out of a storage container. However, vacuums may accelerate evaporation, and so may not be suitable for use in storing paint, where evaporation may degrade the quality of the remaining paint.
It is assumed that these devices are useful for their intended purpose, however, these devices do not offer a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to preserve paint for short to long periods of time, whether or not they use the original product packaging, and in the case of the flexible or vacuumed lid, does not address the evaporation and oxidation issues from the air volume within the partially empty container.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a simple, easy to use paint plug device, which may be re-used many times and for many different types of paint or other coating materials, which does not require the expense and inconvenience of purchasing redundant and potentially expensive storage kits or containers, transferring the materials, or cleaning these containers before re-use.